PRESIDENT'S CORNER
Kelly McNichols
At the recent 345th Air Apaches
Reunion in St. Louis, I was elected as the President of the 500th Bomb
Squadron Association. The election surprised me so that I found myself
stumbling around wondering what had just happened. Following the
election and business meeting, Marith Reheis, daughter of Rex Reheis
and I were walking down one of the hotel hallways when she turned
around and said, “I didn’t know that you were staying on this floor”.
Had I not been following her aimlessly with that deer in the headlight
look, I probably would have noticed it was not my floor. Snapping back
to reality I thought, “No, this isn’t my floor”; although I had no idea
which floor I was currently on or which floor I belonged. Marith gave
me a rather strange look as I tried to orient myself, eventually
finding the way back to my room. Had I dropped bread crumbs to retrace
my steps, the task would have been easier. When I got back to my room
my wife, Becky, asked “You didn’t volunteer to host the next reunion
did you?” I think my starry eyed look must have been a tip off that
something had transpired. My perception of reality was tenuous at best,
but I was pretty sure I hadn’t volunteered to host a reunion. I woke up
in the wee hours of the morning the next day with the pit in my stomach
which made me wonder, “What have I done?” Harlan Hatfield handed me a
sympathy card sometime that day. I hope he was kidding.
After some time to reflect on the
incident, I have come to this conclusion. If I can represent this
organization with half of the skill as past presidents Rex Reheis, Bob
Bynum, Lynn Daker and immediate past president, Don Wagner, I’ll think
I’ve done my duty. I never knew past presidents Charles Hagest, Keith
Dougherty or Thomas Seery, but the organization they helped create is
still going strong and will be for a long time. We owe our gratitude to
all with the foresight to create the 500th Bomb Squadron Association.
All of us understand the importance of preserving history and
remembering those who went before us. I am thankful that I have had the
privilege to meet many of the original members and families. In the few
years that I have been associated with the 500thBS Association, I have
made many good friends. The group is like a family and we are all a
part.
The 500th BS Association recently
gained a new member. In saying new, I mean original member. William C.
Zimmerman flew from April 1944 through November of that year. Because
of his membership an interesting question has surfaced. Since Mr.
Zimmerman doesn’t use a computer or the internet, the point becomes how
can we communicate with former WWII members? Nowadays many of us take
this method of information exchange for granted. I’m sure there are
many individuals just like Mr. Zimmerman who don’t use this electronic
means. He was unaware of the 500th BS Association until a few weeks
ago. A friend of mine suggested a possible way to communicate might be
to put an advertisement in the publications of the American Legion,
VFW, DAV or similar organizations to try to find former members. Many
of you may know individuals from your past who have lost touch with the
500th BS. We all need to put our heads together as a group and try to
find former members and families of former members. If you have an idea
on how to contact former members or families, let Harlan, Marith, Diane
or me know.
I think all owe a big THANK YOU to
Diane Brauer and Jan Daker-Hibbs and all who planned the St. Louis
Reunion. It was a fun and exciting event. I can’t imagine the planning
and detail work which must take place for a reunion, but from the
perspective of those who attended, it went flawlessly. I hope both
women can now rest at night knowing that they hosted a memorable
reunion. I’m sure there were some sleepless nights for them prior to
the event.
If you are making plans for the next
reunion November 9-12, 2012, Mary Sloan Roby and her husband, Clint are
planning to host the next one in the birthplace of the 345th BG,
Columbia, South Carolina. This reunion will be held seventy years after
the forming of the Group, so consider attending this one. It will be
historic -just think seventy years! An event as this happens
rarely. Look for information in upcoming newsletters.
I’ve had conversations with
individuals who mention that they hesitate to come because they don’t
know anyone at the reunions anymore. I can sympathize with that
sentiment, but please consider this. There are many of us in the 500th
BS Association who would just like to meet you and talk to you about
your experiences. Hopefully by meeting the
newer members, you will be assured that your legacy will live on.
I want to thank Don Wagner for all his
hard work promoting the 500th. He has done an impressive job. If not
for gentlemen like Don, this organization would be a mere reflection of
what it currently is. For all of you out there, please be patient with
me until I get the hang of being President. I told Don that I would
probably be calling him often. Come to think about it, I think I’ll put
him on speed dial.
Kelly McNichols